Romney Senior Adviser Kaufman: Mitt ‘Is the Tea Party’

Some Republicans have complained that their presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn’t a true conservative, that he doesn’t fit in with the tea party.

This couldn’t be further from the truth, senior Romney adviser Ron Kaufman tells Politico. Just like a good tea partyer, Romney advocates smaller government, lower taxes, and lower spending, he notes. Moreover, Romney has never worked in Washington.

“He actually is the tea party movement,” Kaufman said. “He truly is the outside candidate not the inside candidate.”

And Romney isn’t as cool and aloof as he’s made out to be, Kaufman said. The Bain Capital co-founder has a “spectacular sense of humor,” his adviser said. Kaufman calls it a “dry, Jerry Seinfeld humor.” Romney’s quite a prankster, he said.

“Like most people in politics, the public perception is different than the private personality.”

Meanwhile, another Romney adviser, Stuart Stevens, said Hurricane Isaac may prevent the candidate from getting the usual post-convention bump up in the polls. "All bets are off," he said according to Politico. "I have no idea, of course this convention is different because of the hurricane.”